I think that racism starts when you stop caring about what you say to others. Last summer I attended human rights courses regarding my conduct last year, and after attending the seminars I still do not believe that the white minority group was racist. For a moment I thought I may have been wrong about it, however the white minority facebook group never had a racist agenda. It was never intended to discriminate against anyone of colour. It’s wrong to label it as a “white power group,” because white power groups are established for the purposes of racism.

 If someone is called “racist,” depending on the situation, it can hurt people. If you label a facebook group as a “white power group” when it isn't, then that can hurt people emotionally as well. Because people feel like they are racists, and they know that they are not. Sometimes it appears as if the facebook groups are being used as a means of bashing students for political gains. For example, in an article by The Ryerson Free Press, published on Oct. 14, 2008, titled “White Culture Club again rears its ugly head, this time it’s Ryevolutionary,” there is a clear intent to discredit student politicians, members of the Ryerson Commerce Society, and the former team members of Ryevolution. I don’t think it’s right to use the topic of racism to make political gains. If that’s the intention, then it seems that all it does in the end is create more controversy.

 Regarding “Israel apartheid”: I think that there is anti-Muslim discrimination going on in Israel that’s  not talked about. I do not think that the state of Israel is trying to racially separate white skinned Jews from brown skinned Muslims, in a so-called “Israel apartheid.”

 Again, it seems like race is being used to make gains politically. I could be wrong, but I personally feel that on campus there is discrimination, but not at a racial level. I think that backing up acts of racism with solid evidence is important. People shouldn’t just assume that there is racism on campus because they heard someone say there was. I don’t believe that there’s a jump in racism, but I do believe people on campus are increasingly more vocal about controversial issues. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, I guess it depends on the issue. I think that it is a bad idea for a student body to get involved with a racial issue on campus.

  Justin Morris

Fourth-year aerospace engineering